I'm not running to compete with anybody. At the same time, I do run quite a bit. I'm a middle-the-pack runner, though, running for the middle means several other things here, too. This is not a blog to help others train. It's just a place I hope to encourage a sustained, consistent, contemplative effort in my running and writing.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Back on (the) Track

So Thursday night, I'm not ashamed to admit it, I woke my spouse up, because I was sleep crying. I was crying in my sleep. I tried to stand up and thought about screaming. Both calves were tight and burning. It felt as though someone had skewered me through my lower legs. Had I smelled onions, I would have known, I am a kebob.

Which brings me to my first bit of running advice. If you've taken a week off for an illness, and you run four miles, then have a chance to drive three hours to visit old dear friends and stay up until five in the morning drinking wine, even though that's just about when you normally get up . . . do it. Every time. Your calves will heal.

That being said, I took Friday and Saturday off for all of those reasons: my calves hurt, and I was recovering from being me but thinking I was me from fifteen years ago.

Sunday:

I ran my Cable Lane 7.75 (1:00.45) -- something about me said I should try to get in under an hour, even though I haven't yet done that. I was close, and that was good, considering my last week and a half.

Monday:

Ran a new loop about four miles (32:15). I think I'm trying to convince myself that my recovery pace is an 8:00-minute mile. And that might be necessary for our Cleveland Marathon goal (3:30.00).

If we don't count the anomalies (3:09 and 3:16), I could say that my mean was 3:13 +/-2: I feel very good about that. Looks like my average is 3:13. I admit it, I'm very pleased about those times. I might run this workout once more before my taper towards May 20. Or I might not, but I think when I pick my training back up in June, I'll have to rethink my goal: it had been 3:15 average.

The good news is my recent injury / illness hasn't necessarily hurt my training terribly. It set my confidence back, and I'm worried, still, about the long run, and my recovery time has increased, but my speed has actually continued to improve slightly.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Other Blogs I Write

My Running Past

I ran cross country in high school, what a rush! The races, the practices, great teammates, the long bus rides -- I loved it all. When I got to college, I found I didn't have enough time to run, because I was too busy trying to appear unimpressed by the world. I started running again a few years ago with nothing really in mind, except that I used to like it, and maybe I'll like it again. I do, and I'm trying to use this blog to figure out why.